Superhero
by Jaeh
Summary: No one's a superhero. Not even Ben Gates, Treasure Protector. So, what happen's when he gets sick? Abby's going into mother-hen mode, and Riley, well, he has other thoughts on the turn of events... Wanna know what happens? This might be it. R&R please!
1. What's wrong with Ben?

_**A/N: I haven't seen a single "Ben is sick" fic anywhere! It's always, Riley's sick and Ben+Abby has to take care of him! Ben's not a superhero; I'm sure he gets sick too!**_

_**And here's my take on it… this is what happens when people are too stressed out, and some sickness gets to them- so guys, don't stress yourself out too much, okay?**_

_**Also, I have another fic, "Riley's Awesome Blog"… if you can, you could read chapter 30 of "Riley's Awesome Blog" to understand some circumstances that are mentioned in here- although that's not going to be necessary… It would rock even more if you do, though, and maybe even throw in the rest of the chappies just for fun! (hehehe)**_

_**Another thing, Aly, my OC in here, is also in "Riley's Awesome Blog"… she's my OC- Riley's girlfriend who's studying to be a doctor(which wasn't actually mentioned in the blog.. yet..)**_

_**This was supposed to be a "blog entry" but it seemed too different to post… it would prolly have two other chapters after this one before it's all done… :D**_

_**After that really really long intro…**_

**Disclaimer: I want to but I don't- so, I own nothing!**

_**R&R please!**_

SICKSICKSICKSICKSICKSICKSICKSICK

Riley dropped a pink jellybean into his mouth, and continued his work. It had been a week since he got that _awful _flu, and he was feeling way better- enough to work all night on another project a big company hired him for.

And that was when his phone rang.

"Hello?" He yawned, feigning sleepiness. He didn't exactly want to talk to someone while he was working, more or less at three o'clock in the morning. _Maybe the thought that the caller woke me up would be enough to drive him away…_

"Riley?" The caller said after a long pause.

"Abby?"

"Yes it's me."

"Okay…what's up?"

"I was wondering if you can come over and help me…"

"You're asking _me _for help? Shock and amazement."

"I need help with Ben."

"…What's wrong with Ben?

"Ben's sick, Riley… "

"Sick?"

"Yeah. I'm completely exhausted. I've been up for twenty-four hours straight, taking care of him. I've been trying to get Ben to take his medicine but he's stubborn though and insists on finishing his work!"

"Sounds like Ben."

"It's not that I don't like taking care of him… I'm just getting really worn out and I don't think anyone could handle another sick person in our little family…"

_Family…_ Riley smiled at the thought. "Well, alright, I could come over, I guess…"

"Thanks. Oh, and before I forget, are you sure you're all okay now? The flu's all gone?"

"It was nothing bed rest couldn't cure, thanks for asking. I'll be right over."

"Thanks. See you at the door."

* * *

Armed with a box of instant hot chocolate and coffee and a small pot of rice porridge, Riley was soon ready to go. He got to Ben and Abby's house half the time he usually does. Concern overrode the fear of being caught by the traffic patrol, so the Ferrari's speed was doubled.

He didn't even have to knock. Abby was there right before he could even press the ringer, obviously waiting for him.

"Well, when did it all start and what do you think it is?" Riley said after they said their greetings.

"He's been feeling way more tired than he normally does, even when he's getting enough sleep. He also had typical cold symptoms but came down with a bad cough- and that's an understatement. He vomited twice yesterday- he kept trying to eat but just couldn't keep anything down. He has a fever that spikes up to a hundred and two, he gets chills…"

Riley frowned. "Not good. That sounds like pneumonia…" Abby looked at him questioningly, as if asking where he got all the information. "When your girlfriend's studying to be a doctor, you learn a lot of things." They started towards Ben and Abby's room.

"Well he could walk around at times and all that, but he usually just feels really tired and all that." Abby explained further, sighing worriedly.

"Sounds like walking pneumonia. Well, that's way better than its viral counterpart, I think…" They both stopped in front of the door. Riley offered, "You want to go ahead and sleep in one of the guest rooms? I could take over from here; it's no big deal…" He walked in, and looked at Ben.

Abby smiled gratefully. "Thanks- I need sleep. Worrying and stress do not go together…" Ben stirred under the pile of blankets and quilts Abby had placed on him. He murmured something about Page 47 and the President, and shivered. Abby pulled the quilt up to his neck.

"Yeah, rest would be good for you…" Riley nodded. "I'd better watch over him right now and all that. I'll call you if there's any problem." He sat down on a couch nearby, and made himself comfortable. He scanned the room. _Okay, there's the pitcher of water, the thermometer, and there's the pills…_

"Think we're going to need to bring him to the ER?"

Riley popped out of his thought bubble. "Huh? What?"

"I asked if you think we're going to need to bring him to the ER…"

"I don't think so. He could fight this- I don't think his immune system's _that_ weak to require a visit. Besides, I hate hospitals…"

Abby managed a small laugh. "Alright. There's a mug of coffee by the table. Hope it helps to keep you awake." She left Riley in the seat by Ben's bed. She turned around after a few moments, though. "And Riley,"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem." Riley smiled. Abby slipped out quietly.

_It's going to be a pretty long night. _He glanced at the mug of coffee nearby. _I hope that's gonna last more than I expect it to._

* * *

The night was boring and uneventful. Ben slept quietly, although occasionally his fever would spike up and Riley would have to wake him up and give him his meds. As for the rest, it was more boring than watching Ben study all day for a treasure hunt- _hence the 'long' night._

Riley's head cleared with the smell of pancakes. He headed down to the kitchen and saw Abby whip up a batch. "Hmmm… it smells so good. So far from your triple broccoli surprise!" He laughed.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Well this is going to be our breakfast. I'm just going to heat some of the rice porridge you brought for Ben yesterday." She left after a few minutes, _to where, who knows…_

Riley nodded, and dug in. The stack on his plate was consumed after a few minutes, and he drank his hot chocolate in one gulp. He was in the middle of another batch of pancakes when he spotted Ben standing in the doorway, watching him eat. "Dude, stop looking at me like that. If you want to eat something, just say so!"

"Yes, actually, I'd like to eat something even if I don't feel like it. It would probably help. " Ben replied, yawning. He sat on the seat across Riley, and massaged his temples. "My head hurts like _hell_."

"Now you know, Ben, now you know." Riley laughed. "So that was why you were so cranky when you brought me to the clinic. Why didn't you say anything?" Riley frowned, and took a sip out of his mug.

Ben shrugged. "Ah… well…" He was about to stand up when Riley stopped him, and got a bowl out of the dishwasher. He sat back down reluctantly.

"Ben, even if we treat each other as brothers, and you're my so-called 'big bro', that doesn't mean you have to act all superhero all the time. That spot is reserved for my other brothers and my dad- and even they don't try _this_ hard."

Riley received a raised eyebrow from Ben. "Alright, maybe they do… But Ben, try not to do this to Abby too much… It's better to intercept the problem before it gets worse, and whoopty-doo, you made it worse. You should have been sleeping all day and resting, not finishing your work or something. It's not worth it."

"Says the man who stays up for a week to finish his job and blames his cold on it."

Riley laughed. "Touché. I see you only need to get sick to have a sense of humor."

Ben rolled his eyes, but winced at the gesture. Riley placed a hand against Ben's forehead. "Does rolling your eyes hurt?"

Ben nodded. Riley put the bowl of porridge in front of Ben. "It's probably because you have a high fever… anyway, that's just one other thing we're going to add to your symptoms." He frowned. "Maybe we _should_ go to the doctor's after all." Riley's eye twitched at his own suggestion. _I just hate doctors. The ambiance, the demeanor… Okay, maybe not all of them, but still…_

Ben grinned in spite of himself. "For someone who's dating an aspiring doctor…" He grinned wider.

"I assume you've been waiting for more than a week to pull that one on me." Riley rolled his eyes. He sat down across Ben and finished his pancakes. "Finish your porridge already, you need a lot of rest. You shouldn't even be walking around a lot."

"Right." Ben shook his head, smiling. He finished half of his bowl, and stopped. He gulped, covered his mouth, and ran to the bathroom.

"Ben? Ben!" Riley ran after him. They both passed Abby, who looked on with worry, then ran after the Ben also.

"Riley what's wrong?" Abby said once she was within earshot. She entered the bathroom and knelt down to assist Ben.

"Uh. I think he's finally going to vomit." Riley paused. "Wait, that's not good."

"Riley, grab a glass of water and a towel…" Abby quickly spewed out her commands, and Riley ran out of the bathroom. He arrived soon, with the glass of water and the towel.

"Verdammt, Ben, why do you have to get sick!" Abby shouted in frustration. She offered Ben the now- wet towel to wipe his mouth with.

"Sorry…" Ben croaked. "I don't have any control over such things." He cleared his throat.

Abby hugged him. "Verdammt, Ben…" Abby repeated, laughing bitterly. "You're making me worry." She sighed, and smiled worriedly.

"I seem to do that a lot." Ben replied, and snatched the water from Riley's hand. He drank it slowly.

"If this keeps up, maybe we should just bring you to the hospital Ben. You'd be put under observation, be guarded against dehydration… and there's going to be chest x-rays, sputum gram stain, and a blood test… A bronchoscopy would be necessary if the tests are inconclusive…" Riley recited from memory. Ben looked at him, eyebrows raised, as if asking where he learned all those stuff. Riley shrugged. "You learn a lot of stuff from your girlfriend."

"Right." Ben finished his glass. He pushed down on the rim of the toilet seat and tried to stand up, but couldn't do it. He sighed, and resigning temporarily to his fate, held out an arm.

Abby and Riley pulled him up. "Are you still dizzy?" Abby asked.

"Well, sort of, but I can walk." Ben leaned slightly against Riley. Abby supported him by the arm, and the three made their way to the room. Ben dropped on the bed and pulled the covers up. "Maybe we should go and have me checked out tomorrow if I don't turn out good."

Riley snickered. "You think?"

Abby just nodded. "Alright. That would work. You get some rest, okay sweetie?"

Ben nodded, and closed his eyes.

Riley and Abby left the room quietly. "I think I'd better call Aly and see what she thinks about all this." Riley suggested. They made their way to Riley's room. Riley sat down on his bed and fluffed the pillow resting on it. "It's your turn to watch him. I think I'm going to take a nap."

Abby nodded. "Maybe Aly would know something. But we're still going to bring him to the doctor's tomorrow, right?"

Riley winced. "As much as I hate them, yes, we would have to. It would probably be the best thing to do." He lay down on the bed and shifted around a bit, trying to find the most comfortable position.

"Have a good, long sleep." Abby patted his shoulder as she walked to the door. "I have a feeling things wouldn't be better tomorrow." She exhaled slowly. "I do hope not, though."

"I hope so too." Riley shifted to his other side, facing away from Abby, who already closed the door. "Get well soon, Ben."

BENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBEN

A/N: So… what do you guys think? Tell me in the review? Please? :D

-Jaeh x)


	2. Who do you think you are? Nicolas Cage?

Disclaimer: I may own the doc, and Aly, but i dun own anyone else. Think i could buy them from Disney?... ...think i could get enough money to?

A/N: hope you guys find it funny, and the medical stuff not too complicated. well, uh... R&R please!

I got a "3" on my first college midterm. 3 is equivalent to... like, i think like a D in US. anyway, it's the lowest passing grade. Yippee. what a great start for college, right lol? hope i did better on the others! ARGH. i need to study more.

Anyway, don't mind me.

Alternating POVS for this - well, sort of. it's named accordingly, and the italics are the thoughts- the usual format for my stuff. xD

R&R for the story/chappie please!

CLINICCLINICCLINICCLINICCLINICCLINICCLINICCLINIC

Ben's POV

They didn't _exactly_ bring Ben to the hospital- they just brought him to the nearest clinic (_Riley's insistence. According to him, he really can't stand hospitals…Might as well try it here.)_. Unlike when it was Riley who was sick, the lines weren't too long that day. _I think all the odds are with me. It is like the world wants me to get better._ There was only two other people waiting, and between Abby's fussing and Riley's yapping, Ben didn't get bored much. Besides, the only thing that appealed to him at that time ever was to go to sleep, and that was what he did, no matter how uncomfortable it was in the plastic chairs. In a few minutes, the attendant called them and escorted them to a room.

"Good Morning Mr. Gates, Mrs. Gates, Mr. Poole…"

"Call me Riley. And it's not exactly a good morning, Doctor-?" Riley answered immediately, like he was the patient, scoffed, and paused when he realized he didn't know the doctor's name.

"Neil. Dr. Neil Payne." The doctor held out a hand, and Abby shook it. Riley refused to do so, and just sat on the couch, scrutinizing the doctor under his gaze. _When he's in the mood, Riley could notice anything._

"Dr. Payne? Wow. That is absolutely the best name for a doctor. Ironic." Riley grinned toothily, his eyes hoping to the heavens that the doctor wasn't offended. _It wouldn't be the first time he ever offended someone _accidentally _with his comments. More than once we had to drag him out of a building away from a fight, a threat, or a flying _something_ aimed at him._

But if the doctor was offended, he didn't show it. Instead he laughed. "I know. I've had patients who turned me down because of my name." Riley raised his eyebrow, and the doctor raised his hands. "Oh no, Mr. Poole- Riley, I have never actually been the cause of pain for my patients. You don't have to worry about that."

"This is all very entertaining, but aren't we all here for Ben?" Abby cut in. It sounded more like a statement that a question.

Riley was about to answer something, but he just shrugged, and leaned back on the couch, seemingly not entirely convinced with Dr. Payne. The doctor smiled, and started asking questions.

"And when did this all start?"

"He got his fever three days ago-" Abby started, but Ben cut her off.

"Actually, it's a week ago. I was coughing pretty badly, but I didn't tell anyone. I just took over-the-counter medicines… although it didn't seem to work, I didn't exactly do anything about it. I had work to do, and I don't want anyone else to worry." Ben explained, with each word slowly inching away from Abby's chair.

It took Abby reasonable strength to stop herself from kicking Ben in the knees, and it showed on her face. "Why didn't you tell me or Riley that you were already feeling bad? Ben!"

Ben shrugged. "I didn't want you guys to worry."

Riley glared at Ben crossly. "You have been sick all the time, and you didn't tell us? Ben! You made everything worse!" He shook his head, and looked up again. "And how in the world did you manage to keep your cough from Abby?"

"I'm a really good actor?" Ben offered, his voice hoarse. He coughed.

"Who do you think you are? Nicolas Cage?" Riley replied irritably. Ben winced, partly from Riley's annoyed voice and the ever-increasing headache that seemingly materialized out of thin air.

Abby sighed, and faced the doctor back again. She knew scolding Ben wouldn't get them anywhere, but the expression 'he's-so-gonna-get-it-later' expression didn't leave her face. "And then what, Mr. Ben Gates?"

Ben faced the doctor again. He explained what else happened in the past three days- the fever, nausea, cough, cold, chills and all those. Dr.Payne nodded, and hummed and hawed at the notes he wrote down. "I'm suspecting you could have acquired pneumonia because of the weakened immune system caused by the cough- which may have been bronchitis. If you had gotten proper treatment, maybe the pneumonia could have been prevented. But we would never know now."

Abby threw Ben another burning look. The doctor seemed to notice, and sped his explanation up to keep the two apart for the moment. "After your physical exam, we would get you a request for a chest x-ray, and since your pneumonia seems to be still in its initial stages we don't expect to see anything different. "We would also have to do a blood test," Riley flinched slightly in his seat, and made some tapping noises with his chucks. "and I'm sure that Riley would not want to watch the process. It would also be done in another room.

"Well then, Mr. Gates, I'll need you in the other room for your physical exam. A nurse would give you the slip for the x-ray and the blood test in a while."

Dr. Payne left the room for a moment, and a nurse came in to show Ben where to go.

* * *

Abby POV

Abby threw Ben another scalding look, and he literally staggered out of the room, his face pale. He held on to the walls to guide his steps. Abby wanted to follow, but she knew that Ben would refuse help anyway. _That stubborn… crazy… stupid... If Ben wants to kill himself, fine! I don't care! _And yet she still looked on with concern.

Riley shifted in his seat, and released the fists he curled up in annoyance. "Ben." He shook his head. "And they say I'm stubborn."

Abby cursed in German softly. Her expression showed a mixture of concern and anger. "He has no right. No right to do this."

"No offense, Abs, but I could see why he did it." Riley said. "He didn't want us to worry. I would've done the same thing." Abby looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "But it's still stupid."

"I am having a long talk with him once we get home. A _very_ long talk."

"Are you sure that would be a good idea Abby? Your talks do get really loud." Riley replied cautiously, but with a grin on his face.

Abby rolled her eyes. "He needs it."

Riley grinned wider. "I know." He looked on with concern though, as he and Abby peeked through the small window in the examination room. Ben was racked with an awful cough, and he stumbled rather ingloriously on the small bed. "He looks like he's been in the American Revolution."

Abby nodded. "I hate seeing him like this."

"Distracts from the whole treasure-hunter-protector-hero look, huh?"

Abby smiled. "He still looks like a hero, though."

Riley snickered. "If that's what you think..."

"We have to get him to _let_ us take care of him when we get back."Abby sighed, a look of worry crossing her face for the twentieth time this morning.

Riley frowned, as he thought of Ben's stubbornness and how hard it was to get him to stop working. Then he grinned, when another thought ran through his mind. Abby blinked at him curiously as he grinned widely, almost evilly, at that. "It's payback time."

Abby continued to look, _well, clueless_. "Huh?"

* * *

Riley's POV

_It's payback time. Let's see how you like people fussing over you 24/7, Ben. _"Nothing." Riley replied. He leaned back on the couch, and fell asleep.

After a few minutes, Ben came back in, and sat on the chair facing the doctor's table. He looked less pale now. He leaned against the table, folded his arms on it and put his head down.

"Did they give you something to drink?" Riley asked, concern- _or smugness, I can't really see which was winning_- written all over his face.

Ben nodded. "Yeah, they noticed my fever was spiking up. Why?"

"You look far less pale now." Riley glanced at Abby, who sat there in the corner, not looking at Ben. _I think she's still really miffed._ "Dude, you are so gonna get it when you get home."

"I know." Ben watched Abby as she struggled not to glance at him.

"She does it because she cares, man." Riley placed an arm over Ben's shoulder, even if he had to reach up a bit. _The wonders of being short._ "Don't ever let her down."

"I won't."

"You're one lucky helluva guy."

"Yeah."

Doctor Neil Payne entered the room again, a prescription notepad in his hand. "Well, Mr. Gates, you _do_ have pneumonia, caused by a certain bacteria called _Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, _as shown by our results. Walking Pneumonia-you probably got it from someone whom you had some form of contact with. Don't worry, with two weeks of bed rest and antibiotics you'd get well soon enough."

He handed him a paper with all the prescribed medicine on it. "Well, okay then Mr. Gates, get well soon, and I hope that _you_ don't come back because you're sick again. If anything else happens, if everything turned out to be bad, here's my card, alright?"

The doctor escorted them to the door. He smiled, and shut the door once they had left.

"So… what else should we do?" Riley spoke up, holding on one of Ben's arms –_no matter how much he tried to shake it off_

– to steady him.

"Go home. Sleep." Ben said, and he collapsed in the backseat of the car. He curled up as much as he could in the cramped space, closed his jacket around him and closed his eyes.

Riley and Abby got in the car soon too, and Riley eased out of the parking space.

On the road leading to home, in the midst of all the cramped traffic, Riley grabbed his phone and dialed number three. _Yeah, Aly's on speed dial. _"Hey."

"Hey Ri-ri…" Pause. "Is there something wrong?"

_Typical Aly. Subtle change in my voice and she quickly assumes something's wrong. She's like Ben- always assuming stuff. It gets annoying at times. But she's mostly right, and it's great that I don't need to tell her anything before she picks it up sometimes… well, _sometimes_._ "I'm fine Al." Pause. "It's Ben who's not."

"Is he sick?"

"How'd you know?"

_I could almost see her shrug._ "You never call me about Ben."

"Oh. Well, he is. With pneumonia."

"Bring him to the doctor yet?" _She sounds real calm… Isn't pneumonia a big deal?_ Pause. "Knowing Ben, he only got pneumonia because his immune system got weak with some sort of bug. Knowing you, you brought him only to a small clinic."

Riley groaned. "Stop that. Yes, and yes. The doctor gave him a physical check-up, blood test, chest x-ray and gave us a prescription for antibiotics."

"That's good… well, what are you calling me for, then?"

"Just to ask if what the doctor did was right."

_Know I could feel Aly thump me lightly on the back of my forehead._ "Seriously, Riley, if I'm there I would've hit you. He's a doctor; he knows what he's doing. I'm a med student, I dunno half of what I'm doing."

"But his name was Dr. Payne." Riley answered back, as if it was the most obvious reason in the world to doubt that doctor.

_Now I could see her rolling her eyes. _"Whatever Riley."

"Okay Al, I- hold on." Riley swerved to the side, barely missing an incoming truck. The wheels made a horrible screeching sound, which jolted the now-sleeping Abby awake.

"What was that?" Pause. "Riley! Are you talking on the phone while driving again?! Did you almost- Riley! What in the he-"

"Hanging up now Al, talk to you later!" _I am so gonna get it from her later._

"What was that Riley?" Abby shifted and stretched a little. "Are we home?"

"Nearly. Uh, go back to sleep." _Sleep. And it's midday. Taking care of Ben must've knocked the wind out of her more than I thought._

"Mm-hmm…" Abby rolled over again.

Riley smiled. The rest of the ride went smoothly, and they were back at the house sooner than usual. Ben marched clumsily to the front door and leaned on the wall. "Ben! Can't you wait for us? What if you trip and you get hurt?" _Ok, I must admit I exaggerated that one a bit._

Abby smirked as Riley passed her, and walked towards Ben, every step making Ben cringe. He knew what was in for him, and if he didn't feel so bad he would've made a run for it.

"Ben."

"Abby." Ben gulped.

Riley laughed as he watched Abby advance. "I am not going to wait around to find out what's going to happen." He drove away, still grinning madly. "Ben is so gonna get it."

DRPAYNEDRPAYNEDRPAYNEDRPAYNEDRPAYNEDRPAYNEDRPAYNE

Review please! tell me what you think! :)


	3. You’re not superman! You bleed too!

A/N: A single curse word.

And a whole lotta oh-so-stubborn thoughts.

**Thanks to all the people who are reading my stuff and reviewing. I may not be able to put your names on here, but trust me guys, your reviews are totally appreciated. They make me smile everyday... :)**

This chappie's kinda short- hopefully the next one would be longer.. :D

Disclaimer: National Treasure, can't say it's my own, though its awesomness I can't measure, all I could do is groan. – lame attempt at rhymes….

R&R please!

FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!FIGHT!

**Ben's POV**

"Ben…"

"Abigail…"

"Ben…"

With each word, Ben stepped back. With each step back, Ben winced. And with each wince, Abby's voice and the throbbing headache intensified in volume.

"Abigail…"

"Ben, just stop. Just…" Abigail sighed, and dropped on the sofa. "Ben. What am I going to do with you?"

Ben sat down beside Abby and placed a hand on her lap. "Abby, I'm so-"

"No, Ben, you're not sorry!" Abby pushed his hand off roughly and stood up. "Look at you! You're sick, Ben! You have pneumonia! What made you think not telling me about your stupid cough not a good idea in the first place?!"

_I didn't want you to worry_, Ben wanted to say. But instead, he just let Abby's anger wash over him.

"What is it, huh Ben? You didn't want us to worry? You didn't want me to worry?! Even if you didn't tell, why didn't you get yourself checked! You dove into work and didn't even file an appointment with the doctor! Didn't it occur to you that that would've helped? Then we don't have to worry _more_, Ben!"

_No, it didn't. _Ben rubbed his aching temples. _My judgment was skewed. I thought the cough didn't mean anything._ Ben stared at the floor. _She's venting, Ben. Don't. say. anything._

"People care about you, Ben! We worry because we're concerned about you!" Abby's voice lowered as she started to calm down. "You're not superman. You bleed too."

_I know, but I'm… I'm not supposed to be weak, Abby._ Ben sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

_If I didn't feel so bad already, I would've shouted back at her. I would've released all of my frustrations on her. I would've fought back._

_But, that's it- my judgment was skewed__. I knew what to do- instead I chose to ignore everything. I didn't do anything about it. She's right._

_Damn, she's right. And she wants to hear me say it._

_And I don't want to admit it._

"You're right."

"What?" Abby blinked at Ben in disbelief.

"I said you're right. I should've told you." Ben did his best not to swallow his own words. "Or I should've gotten myself checked. I shouldn't have ignored this." _I shouldn't have done a lot of things._

_I should stop being a workaholic. I should be more sensitive to people around me- especially you and Riley. I should stop assuming things quickly- your opinion matters too, even if I end up right anyway. I should stop taking everything for granted._

_I should stop taking you for granted._

Ben swallowed the rest of his speech. He couldn't say it, no matter how much he wanted to.

He just couldn't.

Abby didn't notice the pent-up words behind Ben's eyes. She just kissed him, and gave him a big hug.

"Thanks, I needed that," said Ben.

Abby smiled. "Thanks. I needed that, too." She squeezed his hand. "I'm going to start on lunch. Are you going to be okay on your own?"

Ben winced, feeling very weak and fragile- _everyone keeps on treating me like a kid_. _Suck it up, Ben Gates, she's doing this because she loves you._ "Yes."

"Okay. Just give me a shout if you need anything." Abby glanced at the grandfather clock standing near them. "Riley should be back soon."

Ben just nodded. He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

_Being immobile makes you think._

_So many "I should's". So many things I should have done, and should be doing. So many things I realized just now._

_Being immobile clears your head._

_I just realized everything me and Abby ever fought about is my fault. Well, almost everything._

_Being immobile makes you feel every bone in your body._

_That's odd. Every bone…_

_I feel like I've been hit by a truck. My head hurts like hell._

_I'm tired._

Ben rolled over, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Ben… Ben? Wakey wakey…"

Ben swatted the hand off. He turned, and buried his head into his pillow.

"Ben… Ben!"

Ben reluctantly opened his eyes. Riley's grinning face greeted him. "Riley? What…?" He stuttered in his drunken stupor.

"Hey, dude, it's time for your meds." Riley handed him a blue pill and a white tablet. "I bought them earlier…"

_Oh, so that's what Riley did when he left. He bought the medicine…_ Ben grabbed the pills, and swallowed both. Riley handed him a glass of water, and he finished it all in one gulp.

"How are you feeling?" Riley asked, his eyes shining with innocence. _Too much innocence. _

_I feel tired, lethargic, stiff… I feel bad, what else? My head hurts, I feel dizzy, everything is spinning, I feel sick. _Ben coughed. "Okay."

"Liar." Riley handed him a bowl of soup. "Here. Eat this. Some soup Aly cooked for you." He frowned. "Aly never cooks anything for me…"

_Well, you're not sick._ "Thanks." Ben smiled, and dunked a spoonful into his mouth. "Tell her thanks too. It's great."

Riley grumbled,_ probably thinking I can't hear_, as he shuffled towards the chair set in Ben's room. "Maybe I should get myself sick again to get noticed…"

Ben just shook his head, and smiled. He took another spoonful. _This REALLY does taste good._

"So, Ben, how was it?"

"How was what?"

Riley grinned widely. "The lecture! Did she take it easy on you? Was there a scream fest? I missed all the action!"

"You left, Riley. And there was no scream fest."

"Well I had to- other than buying your meds, I had to get out of the way." Riley said. "So, what happened?"

"Well… I thought about it, and she was right." Ben sat up in his bed, and took another sip from the soup. "I told her she was right."

Riley's eyes seem to widen in surprise. "Wait a second, wait a second. You, told her, she was right. You told her she was right? Ben! Is that you? Did the bug mess your brain up? Are you okay?!"

"Well she was! And I didn't feel like arguing."

Riley laughed. Out loud. He shook like he was having an epileptic seizure- _okay, maybe I exaggerated that a bit._

"What?" Ben scratched his head, clearly puzzled.

"Ben, the girl, is always right. Sheesh, how many times have you ever had a girlfriend, anyway?" Riley replied, still laughing. He stopped after a few seconds, and patted Ben on the shoulder. "Seriously, Ben, she's right. Everything she said is truly, definitely right.

"I wonder how many times all this would repeat before you get the message."

BENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBEN

Review please! :D

-Jaeh x)


	4. It’s payback time!

Disclaimer: I own not-a-thing!

A/N: Sorry if I took too long. It's been sorta crazy busy… :D POVs in italics: the usual format!

R&R please!

THIRSTTHIRSTTHIRSTTHIRSTTHIRSTTHIRSTTHIRST

**_Riley_**

_Thirsty._ Riley squinted at the clock. _2:00 am_. He groaned, irritated that he had to be thirsty at this hour. Riley stood up reluctantly and slipped on his bunny slippers and robe, and rubbed his eyes. He grabbed his flashlight and made his way through the hallway and down the stairs. _Sorry if I'm too lazy to grope for the light switch._

Pitch-black darkness swallowed the whole mansion. Riley flashed the light around nervously, bothered by the lack of illumination. He passed by Ben and Abby's office, and exhaled gratefully when light greeted him underneath the door. Then he stopped. _Why is the world is the office's light on?_ Ben and Abby had been really particular about the electricity, prompting Riley and everyone else staying in their house to turn off _everything_ when not in use. _So much money in hand and they're so thrifty about their electric bill. Not that I blame them though…_

Riley twisted the knob, and peeked inside. _No one. Weird._ He flicked the light off and closed the door quietly. After a few steps, he looked back again. The light under the door resumed shining. _Real weird. Ghosts? Oh cool, Ben and Abby got ghosts! Any other more logical explanation for this, though? _Riley pressed an ear against the door. He heard a cough. Only one person came in mind. _Ben! _He squeezed the knob angrily and threw the door open. "BENJAMIN FRANKLIN GATES!"

"Riley!" Ben dropped the pen he was holding. "Ssshhh!" He coughed, and continued in a hoarse voice. "Don't shout! Abby might hear!"

"Let her hear then! So she could give you an earful!" Riley ran fingers through his hair irritably. "Are you trying to get yourself _sicker_?" He paused. _What in the world are you doing, Ben? You're worse than a kid! Aha!_ "You are grounded, Ben Gates!"

"Who are you, my dad?"

"No." Riley grabbed Ben's files, pen, and laptop. "But I could still ground you." He smirked.

Ben reached towards Riley. "Give that back! I need those!"

"Make me." Riley grinned. "Don't make me shout; I could wake up Abby with a single word."

Ben dropped back to a whisper. "No! Don't! Don't tell her!"

"Then stop screaming!" Riley continued in an irritated voice. "Go to sleep, Ben! What in the world do you think you're doing?!"

"Work?" Ben said with an almost-innocent look on his face.

Riley rolled his eyes."Don't try, Ben; I perfected that look." He pulled on the older man's arm. "Come on, let's get you back to your room."

Ben pulled at his own arm. "Let go, Riley, I'm not 10. I don't need your assistance."

Riley glared at Ben, and let him go. Ben staggered, and coughed. "You were saying, Ben?"

"Help?"

_--_

_Over breakfast. _

"Good morning Riley."

"Good morning Abby." Riley replied, stuffing his mouth with a spoonful of cereal. He didn't take his stare off Ben. Ben shifted, and lowered his eyes.

"Good morning Ben."

"Good morning Abby." Ben replied, and reached an arm towards Abby, inviting her for a kiss.

Abby raised a hand, grinning. "Sorry sweetie, but it wouldn't help if we're both sick, right? Riley would suffer if that happens."

"Yeah, poor me." Riley said sarcastically. His eyes still didn't move from Ben.

Abby looked at both curiously. "Is there anything wrong?"

Before Ben could even answer, Riley already spoke up. "Nothing, nothing's wrong. Although, Ben said that he would be fine here at home even if you leave for work."

"But who will-"

"No worries Abby, I'm not going anywhere." Riley cut her off, and pushed her towards the shower. "You haven't left the house for days. And don't even get me started about you taking a shower Abby- your hair's getting all… frizzy. Besides, I'm sure work has piled up in the office, and you love doing work for the Archives, right?"

"Can you-"

"Abby, relax. I can take care of Ben on my own. Trust me, okay?" Riley handed Abby her towel. "Go on and get out of here."

Abby smiled at Riley gratefully. "Thank you."

"No problem, just go."

Riley left Abby, and bounded downstairs towards the kitchen. Ben had just finished the last of his porridge. He was about to get up to put it on the sink when Riley snatched the bowl and put it in the sink himself. Ben grinned. "Thanks. And thanks for not telling Abby about last night."

"Well… she doesn't need any more problems. And besides, that one was not for free."

"What do you mean not for free?"

"You owe me one, Ben." Riley smirked. "I sent Abby away to do work around the office."

"What?!"

"It's just you and me, Ben. And it's payback time." _For all the times you fussed over me when I was sick, treating me like a kid who can't do anything… It's payback time!_ Riley held out a hand, not expecting Ben to take it. Ben shook his head no, and stood up on his own. "Fine. Let me just…" Riley held a hand against Ben's neck. "Your fever's spiking up. Again. Probably the effect of you staying up so late last night instead of just sleeping and resting your sickness off! Did you even drinkyour pills this morning? I suspect not. Ben! How could you possibly get well if you don't drink your pills!"

"Alright! Enough already, Riley!" Ben grabbed a couple of pills from the table. "You're beginning to sound like Abby. Worse than her nagging, even!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Riley's eyes sparkled. _There, my friends, was the goal, and the goal was attained._ "Go on, get outta here and get some more sleep."

For once Ben didn't argue. He walked slowly back to his room, leaving Riley to clean the kitchen. Riley picked up a towel, and started wiping the table clear. He grinned. _This is going to be fun…_

* * *

_**Ben**_

_This is going to be a long day._ Ben pulled the sheets up to his chin. He was starting to feel dizzy again, and chilly, too. He rolled over to one side, and watched the door. _I'm going to count to three, and exactly after that, I'll see Riley marching in here to check my temperature. One… two… three!_

"Hey Ben… time to check your temp." Riley marched in, _right on time_, thermometer in hand. He threw it into Ben's mouth. "Under the tongue Ben."

_Is it just me, or did he smirk?_ "Mmm-hmmm…" Ben rolled the thermometer around his mouth.

"Ben! I could see the movements outside, you know." Riley said, yanking the thermometer out. He wiped it on a tissue, and checked the temperature to see if it moved. It didn't. "It would be over much sooner if you cooperate." He put it in Ben's mouth again, and waited.

_Didn't I just tell him that statement a few weeks ago?_ _When he was sick? Is this déjà vu, or is he deliberately doing all of this?_ Ben looked at Riley, and saw a flash of what seemed to be a smug on his face, replaced by an overly-concerned look. _Oh. So he is._ "Mm-hmm, hmm?"

Riley pulled the thermometer out. "102.2. Definite fever. What were you saying again?"

"Riley, why?! Whatever I did when you were sick… it was all for your sake…"

"You would understand after my experiment is over, okay Ben?" Riley patted Ben on the shoulder. "I'll be right back with more medicine and a glass of water. Maybe a bowl of soup, too…" He headed out of the door, and turned around. "Don't you dare get up from that bed, Ben."

Ben nodded. He was happy to oblige to _that_. He didn't feel like he could even sit up. Riley returned after a few seconds, and handed Ben a tray with a glass of water, some pills, a bowl of soup. Ben drank his pills and ate the soup obediently. Riley sat in the corner. "Ben."

Ben looked up, a noodle still hanging from his mouth. "Hmm?"

"What made you think working at two in the morning a good idea?" Riley said quietly. Ben detected another question under it, but didn't push the subject.

"You'd just stop me from working if you see me, Riley. You know you would." Ben replied, sipping a spoonful of soup. "I need to do something, Riley. I can't just lie around the house even if I'm sick."

"But that's the point of being sick, Ben!" Riley explained, sighing dramatically. "Being sick gives you the time to rest, and just sleep and-or watch TV all day. No work involved."

Ben shook his head at Riley, as if he didn't understand. "I enjoy my work."

Riley stood up, and sat on the chair beside the bed. "Look, Ben. I know you do… but even I don't do this sort of thing."

"You don't sleep when you're hooked on your work, Riley."

"But that's different, Ben. I'm not sick then." Riley said patiently. _At least, he sounded patient. I feel like I'm getting a lecture from my dad… _"You're sick. You're supposed to sleep, eat, watch tv… Be a couch potato and not do anything!"

"I can't do that Riley… I'm not you." Ben grinned.

Riley rolled his eyes. "Haha. Not funny, Ben. I'm serious. I know you're a man of action. You're probably granted this virus so you'd take the time off. So, take. the. time. off!"

"And don't ever do the thermometer-rolling-in-the-mouth thing again to hide your temperature. I _invented_ that." Riley grinned, and took the tray from Ben. "Go back to sleep."

Ben blinked at Riley while he closed the door, hooking a foot around it and pulling it shut. _Did I just get a lecture from my best friend?_

_--_

Riley returned after a few hours, to bring Ben another round of pills and some porridge. "Hey Ben, how are you feeling?"

"Better." Ben smiled, yawning. _For the past 15 minutes I have been staring at the ceiling with nothing to do. I hope Riley's brought something interesting…_

"Here, Ben. I guess you deserve this for restraining yourself for the past four hours or so…" Riley handed Ben one of his books.

_I've been out for four hours?!_ "Thanks, Riley. How long have I been sleeping?"

"Four hours, I already told you. Sheesh Ben, I don't have to repeat everything, right?" Riley placed the thermometer in Ben's mouth again. "Don't worry about it, okay? Do you need anything else? I'll be downstairs, just give me a shout when you need me. I'll keep everything under control. Are you sure you're going to be alright in here? Do I have to stand by and watch you? I could do that, you know…" _There he goes, starting with this again. I don't like being treated like a kid, Riley! I could take care of myself, even if I'm sick!_

_And the things I've been doing to Riley whenever he was sick… well, let's just say I've treated him way worse. More like a kid than an adult. And what he's doing to me is just a taste of my own medicine- although I was still worse than this. At least there is an ounce of sensitivity left in there, but when I take care of him, I'm so focused on the fact that h was sick that I forget he's real and I need to back off a bit too._

_Wow. Another horribly big realization. I wonder when they would stop hitting me, or when they would actually get applied…_

"Look, Riley, I'm sorry for all that, okay?"

"For what?" Riley cocked an ear, as if he was waiting for further explanation.

"For…" Ben exhaled, and started another apology. "for treating you too much like a kid. I get it, you're a grown-up... I'm sorry."

Riley grinned. "Now that's what I've been waiting for." He sat on Ben's bed. "So… what now? Any promises you have under that thick skull of yours?"

"Yeah. No more kid stuff."

"Unless I ask for it, right?" Riley grinned. Ben raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not one to grow up, remember? A kid at heart is always a kid at heart."

"Sure." Ben rolled his eyes, and pushed Riley off. "Now go away, before you catch this horrible bug."

Riley smiled, and stood up, heading for the door. He grabbed the now-empty glass. "Have a good sleep, Ben."

Ben smiled too, and waved him off. "Sure, _kid._" He heard Riley's laughter, and he rolled over to another side, and closed his eyes.

LECTURELECTURELECTURELECTURELECTURELECTURE

Review please and thank you!

-Jaeh x)


	5. Ice Cream Endings

Disclaimer: National Treasure? YAY! I own it on _vcd_!

RILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEYRILEY

_**Riley**_

_Nine days._ It has been nine days since Riley received Abby's call about Ben's sick predicament. And now here he was, standing guard beside Ben's bed. His body screamed rest after being overused for more than a week; his head protested in form of intermittent headaches. But he didn't want to move from his spot. He needed to stop Ben from doing something stupid. Ben was getting a lot better, and Riley knew in a few days Ben's going to be a hundred percent well. _That doesn't mean he could spiral in the wrong direction – because he's feeling fine now, he insists on moving around a lot and working. He still needs some rest!_

And now that Ben had finally fallen asleep – after an hour of cajoling and bickering, and Riley threatening to tell on Ben– Ben had reluctantly gone to bed to have some more rest. The guy has been down for more than two hours now, and to think he put up a fight when Riley tried to get him to sleep. Riley shook his head, and stood up. He decided that Ben would probably sleep for about an hour or so, so it should be safe to walk around for a moment. He made his way to the kitchen, where he spotted Abby scarfing down a pint of ice cream while reading an important looking document.

Riley grabbed a spoon himself and grabbed the pint from Abby, and started eating. Abby took it back. "I bought one for you Riley – it's in the fridge."

"You did? Thanks!" Riley said, and got the pint from the fridge, and started to spoon chunks into his mouth.

After a moment of silence, Abby looked up from her document. Riley continued to eat his ice cream out until he felt Abby's gaze penetrating his skull. He looked up, and blinked at her innocently. "What? Do you want some?"

Abby smiled with concern. "You look terrible."

"You should see yourself with that document. Your concentration is disturbing."

Abby ignored the comment. "You do. I know you haven't slept right ever since Ben got sick."

Riley laughed, his laughter broken by a small cough. "Yeah, well I couldn't let superman here not get his yellow sunlight – sleep. You know Ben would just work his lungs out again until he gets sick much, much worse if he doesn't recover properly…" He scoffed, and waved his spoon around. "The guy doesn't have much in the way of self-preservation, especially when focused on his work."

"I can't really blame him, Riley." Abby said, smiling dreamily, probably going into some memory of Ben busy with history-related things with Abby by his side. Riley shuddered. _Who in the world gets turned on by ripped, crumbly old documents and dusty cracked clay pots?_

Abby snapped back to reality, and looked at Riley. "I don't like the sound of that cough. You really need a break; I could take a few days off from work…"

"Nah, Abs, I could make it. It's only a few days till the second week mark." Riley grinned, and tapped the document. "Besides, those things can't fix themselves on their own. From the look on your face and the ice cream stress reliever, that report doesn't look so good."

"Well one of the newly delivered artifacts is in poor condition, and we need ingenious methods to preserve it." Abby rubbed her forehead.

Riley patted her shoulder. "Relax, Abby. I'm the one who doesn't sleep, and you're the one who has the bags under her eyes."

"You should really see yourself in the mirror."

"That's why I try to keep away from mirrors as much as possible." Riley replied. "Well, if you really want to get back to nursing duty, I could have a few hours taken off…"

Abby smiled. "Thanks, Riley."

"If you really want to take care of your hubby that bad I'm willing to take some time off for you…"

"I didn't mean just for that, Riley." Abby laughed a bit. "I meant with all your help – starting from that call."

Riley grinned. "Well, it's the least I can do for my family, Abigail."

Abby smiled at him, leaning forward on the table. She yawned, and looked up when she heard something clang upstairs. "I think our patient is awake."

"Let him work a bit." Riley shrugged. "Work's like therapy for him." He looked up. "As long as he doesn't stay up late later, he'll do fine."

Abby stood up. "I think I'll be heading back to the office. I'll see you in a few hours, Riley."

Riley saluted. He spooned another pile of cream into his mouth as Abby left the kitchen. Fatigue caught up with him all of a sudden; he felt his eyes close and his head lull forward. He fell to the table, arm under his head, hands still holding the container and spoon.

--

_**Ben**_

Ben shot up, swung his feet over the side of the bed and stood up. A weird dream struck him while he was asleep; something about him being chained to the bed, sick with a horrible headache and Abby force-feeding him chicken soup and Riley poking him repeatedly with a thermometer.

He rubbed his eyes, and tripped over the chair in the middle of the room. He fell with an "oof", and the chair with a "clang-thud". Ben stood up, and deciding that he wasn't fully awake yet, righted the chair, sat on it and tried to clear his head. After a few minutes, he stood up and headed into the kitchen, hoping to find Riley or Abby to have someone to talk to.

He never thought getting sick could be this… _boring_. _And scary._ His mind drifted back to the dream, and he shook his head to get rid of the nightmare.

Ben made his way down the stairs, and finding no one in the foyer, he headed into the kitchen.

The sight that met him was very… interesting, he didn't know if he should laugh or be extremely concerned.

Riley was sleeping, snoring, face down in a sticky puddle of chocolate ice cream. A small, upturned tub rolled beside him, a spoon still in it. Ben wasn't sure if he should wake him up, but he decided that his wife would probably not appreciate ants in her sparkling kitchen, so he shook Riley awake.

"Huh… what?" Riley raised his head, his glasses dripping with ice cream, his face covered in sticky liquid and his hair sticking up in odd places. Riley slipped his glasses rubbed his eyes and stared dumbly at Ben.

"Good morning." Ben grinned, and handed Riley a towel. _Fifteen minutes into waking up, and I have to take care of this guy and save him from Abby… Abby wouldn't want ants on the table…_

Riley wiped his glasses, and put them back on. He then wiped his face afterwards, and darted his eyes around wildly. "Ben?" He stretched, and stared at the cloth in his hand. "Wow, I didn't think I'd fall asleep that easy. I could stay up without sleeping for two weeks…"

"You stayed up without sleeping for two weeks?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been trying to get yourself killed?"

"It's very interesting that two workaholics are having this kind of conversation." Riley smirked, and patted Ben on the shoulder as he made his way to the sink. "So. How was sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually." Ben yawned, and grabbed a muffin from the fridge. "How was yours?"

"Sticky."

Ben chuckled. "I noticed. I would have left you but, Abby would freak if she finds ants all over the kitchen."

"Glad to know you care about her." Riley sat back down again. "So. Feeling better?"

"A lot better."

"I told you so. See? Trust your sidekick Ben. I know you're a superhero, but even Batman needed Robin."

"How about Superman? I thought he didn't have a sidekick." Ben smirked.

"Yeah well, you're not an alien, are you?" Riley answered back. "And two words: Justice League."

Ben laughed. "Robin couldn't stay around forever. If Batman ever got tired of him he could always throw him out of his mansion…"

"You know Ben, that hurt." Riley held a hand above his chest to emphasize his statement. "If Batman threw him out, if Alfred's away, who would take care of him when he gets sick? Especially with Pneumonia."

Ben looked on with amusement and annoyance. He knew he was losing, but Riley's talk was better than staying in his room all alone. "Did you just compare Abby to Alfred?"

"I never said anything like that." Riley grinned mysteriously. He stood up, and made his way to the couch. "I think I'll get some Zs." Riley yawned.

"You need some. Looked in the mirror lately?" Ben followed Riley into the living room.

Riley jumped on the couch and made himself comfortable. He yawned. "No, and I'm not planning to. Well, Ben, I let you have your sleep, let me have mine." Riley closed his eyes, and rolled over.

Ben smiled and shook his head. He leaned back in the chair, and before he knew it – he himself was sound asleep. Again.

----

_**Riley**_

Riley watched Ben shift in his seat. Ben rolled over, opened and crossed his legs, and one of his eyes opened a bit. Drool pooled in the corner of his mouth.

_And they said this guy was a "hero". What in the world did they see in him? _Riley grinned, and shook his head. He knew exactly what they saw in him – he saw it himself. _Determined, and passionate. A very good best friend – and a brother. _He was about to go into a longer internal monologue when Abby came back.

"Hey Riley…"

"Hey Abs."

"He's asleep again?"

Riley yawned. "Isn't it obvious? The guy's knocked unconscious. Look, drool." He pointed lazily to the wet spot on the arm of the chair.

"What did you guys do all day? Sleep?" Abby smiled, hanging her coat inside the closet.

"Pretty much. There isn't really anything left to do." Riley stretched for a bit. "Unless you want us both to work… and work… and work… you know we can do that too."

Abby rolled her eyes. She sat down on the empty seat beside Riley. "And that, is why you both get sick a lot. Learn to set some limits."

"Yes Ma'am." Ben answered. He opened one eye at Abby and Riley, and yawned.

"Hey sweetie." Abby said, and kissed Ben on the cheek. "Had a good sleep?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah. And before you could ask, yes, I'm doing much, much better. Sleep helps."

"Of course it does, Ben. Every person needs it. You know, so that _they don't get sick with pneumonia…_" Riley smirked.

"You are never going to let that go, would you?" Ben glared at Riley.

"Never." Riley looked really smug.

Ben smirked back. "It's not like you've never been sick from working too much before."

"I have an excuse."

"What?"

"I really am sickly. You're not." Riley grinned.

"Being sickly is an advantage?"

"Right now it is."

Abby cleared her throat. Ben looked a there. He seemed partly surprised that she was there. Abby just grinned. "Wow Ben. You actually caught up with Riley. I'm impressed."

"Yeah well, there is nothing else left to do when you're sick." Ben shrugged. "You get bored." They kissed, leaving Riley with an unreadable face.

Riley stood up from his seat, and patted Abby on the shoulder. "Well, then, as much as I enjoyed the conversation, I really need to get back to work." Riley was about to head upstairs, into his room, when someone stopped him.

"Wait."

He turned around. "Yeah?"

Ben smiled. "Thanks Riley."

"For what?"

"Well… I was sick, and…"

Riley laughed. "No big deal, Ben. You did the same for me once. Uh, twice… okay, a lot. This is nothing."

Ben shook his head. "It's something. Thanks."

"No problem, really." Riley smiled back, and continued his ascent up the stairs. "Just don't get sick again…"

_**Ben**_

Ben turned back to Abby, who was beaming at him. He blinked at her innocently. "What?"

"That was nice."

"Nice? Is that all you've got?" Ben laughed, and went to the seat next to Abby. He kissed her on the ear and cuddled her a bit. "Thanks for everything, Abigail."

Abby smiled, and cuddled closer. "You're welcome, Ben." She whispered, and gave Ben a huge kiss on the mouth. They surfaced for air after a couple of seconds.

"I missed that." Ben remarked, brushing a strand of Abby's hair away.

"I missed it too." They kissed again, longer and a bit more passionate this time, and looked into each other's faces.

"I love you Ben."

"I love you too, Abigail."

-end :)

BENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBEN

Ben and Abby sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! sorry, couldn't resist. xD

Awww… a happy ending. Of course… ^^ I know it's not much, but at least I finally finished something that is not a one shot! Yeah, my first finished multi-chaptered chappie! Hopefully my other fics endings would be better… xD

So… watch out for my next stories, 'kay? xD I promise they'd be a treat... ^^ Thanks for reading and following my stuff!!

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed (read without reviewing, too) ,you guys make me so happy and y'all gave me the strength, if you will, to write and finish!** **And** **thanks lots of course, to my awesome beta and my awesome "National Treasure friend",** **LoremIpsum**!!!

One last Review please!!

-Jaeh x


End file.
